Community Organizing Workshop Revitalizes Campaign
On the weekend of September 25, thirty-six Emory & Henry students engaged a Community Organizing Workshop.
Bonner Scholars, Public Policy and Community Service majors, students from Mars Hill College, and anyone else who was interested participated in the event that occurred Friday and Saturday. It included group discussions and workshops about how to help communities.
Workshop topics included: How to get People to Care about your Cause, information on the Virginia Organizing Project, EHC Student Government, and One on One sessions. Brian Johns led the workshop on the VOP and Laura Weaver, of the Crisis Center, led the workshop about caring for causes.
Community organizing revolves around the ideas of building relationships, sustainability, social issues, and eventually using community members to change.
To understand and apply these ideas, senior Joni Ritter led a discussion on the issues in our own college community. Students compiled a list of many things they want to change on campus, of which these were included: recycling, gender relations, and a living wage for our employees.
Of the ideas discussed, living wage was a popular issue that warranted improvement. Two years ago, students at Emory hosted a living wage campaign to provide staff enough money for them to be able to afford the necessary utilities. These necessities include housing, food, electricity, and water.
This discussion led to a resounding want for change from the students present. Jasmyne Rowe said, “I don’t want people to say they’re in this, and not follow through.” Her comment sparked much enthusiasm among the group.
The Community Organizing Workshop really encouraged college students to care about each other, and to recognize and solve their issues in their communities. It challenged them to think about social change and action.
Filed Under: Campus News • News
About the Author: Sophomore Hannah Rhodes is a Mass Communications and Public Policy and Community Service double major. A native of Richmond, Hannah works for the campus radio station and also helps with the weekly television show. This is her second year working with EHCWired. She enjoys writing, playing soccer, and spending time with friends. She volunteers at the Highlands Project after school program and enjoys participating in community service. Family is important to her, as she is one of five children. Her time at Emory has been wonderful, and she can’t wait to have even more experiences.
